Upgrading a Track bike: The wheels
Moderator: robbosmans
What would be the best place to improve on the "basic" track bike like the Felt TK3 ?
I was thinking about an upgrade on the wheels:
- Deep section, carbon tubular rims (wich depth, width would be best for "omnium" ? ).
- With decent track or fast rolling tubs ( wich models the best ? ).
- Generic hubs ( how many holes for 110 lbs rider ?)
Thanks for your help
Louis
I was thinking about an upgrade on the wheels:
- Deep section, carbon tubular rims (wich depth, width would be best for "omnium" ? ).
- With decent track or fast rolling tubs ( wich models the best ? ).
- Generic hubs ( how many holes for 110 lbs rider ?)
Thanks for your help
Louis
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- Posts: 849
- Joined: Sat May 12, 2012 8:32 am
- Location: Australia
disk rear & 5 spoke front.
I write the weightweenies blog, hope you like it
Disclosure: I'm sponsored by Velocite, but I do give my honest opinion about them (I'm endorsed to race their bikes, not say nice things about them)
Disclosure: I'm sponsored by Velocite, but I do give my honest opinion about them (I'm endorsed to race their bikes, not say nice things about them)
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A disc rear and 5-spoke front, whether Mavic or FFWD or another brand, is a good professional-level solution but may be more than you need. And do be careful of some of the less expensive versions -- they don't offer the benefits that the Mavic Io/Comete combination have made famous.
Dura Ace and Phil Wood make superb track hubs with traditional threading and cog designs. The Dura Ace are very smooth and the hubs are stiff; the Phil's can be upgraded from the factory with low-friction bearings, but frankly, hub bearing resistance is the least of your issues here. Don't get anything more than 32 hole and consider something more like 24/28 as workhorse track wheels. I'd tend to steer clear of some of the fixie-oriented hubs because they either use nonstandard cog designs or are designed more with cosmetics than FEA-like design criteria to be sure they're bulletproof. People have criticisms of the traditional threaded track cog, but on the track it works and additionally, on the track you want to be able to borrow a cog as needed and most people will have traditional threaded cogs. Used equipment is also much cheaper that way as well, and you'll be compatible with discs or 5-spokes that only come with threaded cog setups.
On rims, don't go too high in profile. You'll find that on steep banking they tend to flex a bit across the sidewall, and that's quite unnerving. You have to buy high quality or track-specific high-profile tubular rims, but even then it's not necessarily as useful as something that is stiffer with a more moderate profile. And if your track isn't indoors, you can run into a crosswind every lap and high profile rims will give you handling problems.
At this point in your track career, you don't need to upgrade wheels like you might want to on the road. Track tends to be raced -- short of the elite level -- on pretty basic equipment, and fast wheels can look more poseur than appropriate.
Dura Ace and Phil Wood make superb track hubs with traditional threading and cog designs. The Dura Ace are very smooth and the hubs are stiff; the Phil's can be upgraded from the factory with low-friction bearings, but frankly, hub bearing resistance is the least of your issues here. Don't get anything more than 32 hole and consider something more like 24/28 as workhorse track wheels. I'd tend to steer clear of some of the fixie-oriented hubs because they either use nonstandard cog designs or are designed more with cosmetics than FEA-like design criteria to be sure they're bulletproof. People have criticisms of the traditional threaded track cog, but on the track it works and additionally, on the track you want to be able to borrow a cog as needed and most people will have traditional threaded cogs. Used equipment is also much cheaper that way as well, and you'll be compatible with discs or 5-spokes that only come with threaded cog setups.
On rims, don't go too high in profile. You'll find that on steep banking they tend to flex a bit across the sidewall, and that's quite unnerving. You have to buy high quality or track-specific high-profile tubular rims, but even then it's not necessarily as useful as something that is stiffer with a more moderate profile. And if your track isn't indoors, you can run into a crosswind every lap and high profile rims will give you handling problems.
At this point in your track career, you don't need to upgrade wheels like you might want to on the road. Track tends to be raced -- short of the elite level -- on pretty basic equipment, and fast wheels can look more poseur than appropriate.
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- Posts: 849
- Joined: Sat May 12, 2012 8:32 am
- Location: Australia
Even for a pursuit I still don't think it matters, I don't think anything short of a well designed disc/5 spoke (or double disc) will actually be 'faster' than the stock wheels that came on your Felt.
@11.4 can I ask why you recommend 24/28 rather than 32/32 for the wheels? Is it based on LouisN's weight? All the track wheels I've seen at my local training sessions/races are usually either 32/32 or some variant of the Campy Shamal or Mavic Ellipse...
@11.4 can I ask why you recommend 24/28 rather than 32/32 for the wheels? Is it based on LouisN's weight? All the track wheels I've seen at my local training sessions/races are usually either 32/32 or some variant of the Campy Shamal or Mavic Ellipse...
I write the weightweenies blog, hope you like it
Disclosure: I'm sponsored by Velocite, but I do give my honest opinion about them (I'm endorsed to race their bikes, not say nice things about them)
Disclosure: I'm sponsored by Velocite, but I do give my honest opinion about them (I'm endorsed to race their bikes, not say nice things about them)
LouisN was looking at deep section carbon rims and at omnium. The omnium next year has had pretty much all of the power events removed, so it's really just endure events. With carbon rims one doesn't have to go to 32 spoke on the track unless one is very heavy or is deeply into power events. Even then, most of the world cup circuit is ridden on 24/28 or even 20/24 Reynolds, Enve, Zipp, or similar wheels.
There are lookalike five-spoke front wheels and many disc wheels around, but there are unique properties to the Mavic Io and Comete that make them such a lasting part of track cycling. They are extraordinarily durable, the Comete is lenticular rather than flat (which really helps on the track), and the Comete alloy tire bed is superior for gluing. And they simply never fail. I've seen them go through incredible crashes and survive. Can't say that about any other wheel sets out there.
There are lookalike five-spoke front wheels and many disc wheels around, but there are unique properties to the Mavic Io and Comete that make them such a lasting part of track cycling. They are extraordinarily durable, the Comete is lenticular rather than flat (which really helps on the track), and the Comete alloy tire bed is superior for gluing. And they simply never fail. I've seen them go through incredible crashes and survive. Can't say that about any other wheel sets out there.
Hi,
I am hesitating about two carbon wheelsets (tubular) that I found at a good similar price :
- Fast Forward F6T : http://www.ffwdwheels.com/wheel/f6t-for-track/?Q1=track
- DT Swiss TRC 1400 Dicut 65 T : https://www.dtswiss.com/fr/produits/rou ... icut-65-t/
What is your opinion about theses wheels or do you have any other recommandation?
Thank you.
Edit 19.03.2020
Here is the Velodrome.Shop's answer to my question :
I am hesitating about two carbon wheelsets (tubular) that I found at a good similar price :
- Fast Forward F6T : http://www.ffwdwheels.com/wheel/f6t-for-track/?Q1=track
- DT Swiss TRC 1400 Dicut 65 T : https://www.dtswiss.com/fr/produits/rou ... icut-65-t/
What is your opinion about theses wheels or do you have any other recommandation?
Thank you.
Edit 19.03.2020
Here is the Velodrome.Shop's answer to my question :
Edit 08.04.2020We have stopped selling FFWD as there were so many problems with this brand.
The DT Swiss are excellent wheels far superior to the FFWD option. They have higher quality rims, spokes and ceramic hubs.
Knowing Velodrome.Shop's answer, I choose the DT Swiss ones. Aerodynamics isn't everything on track after all.Here is Hambini's telling a bit more why FastForward wheel perform well in his test :
the internal bulge and the dimensions associated with it are a crude way of delaying separation. that is why they perform well
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